With This Ring Wedding

2012-01-30T13:18:00.000-08:00

This last month has been jam packed with bridal shows and I loved it! Even though last year I had weddings scheduled well into the fall and my usual time for recovery and planning was cut by more than half I still loved every minute of it. For the last two years I have been participating in one Salem show and one Portland show. There are so many these days that I can't keep track, ugh!

This past weekend was the Oregon Wedding Showcase at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. The last three times I have participated in the show I only paid for a mini booth, as you can see in the picture to the left. 5' X 10' is not very big so I wanted to show my creativity with a small space. As you can see I laid down astroturf to give the idea of an outdoor wedding. The idea was very fairly simple, but for the first time I had brides and mom's taking pictures of my booth. The mason jars with battery powered candles was a hit!

This show, by far, was more successful and enjoyable than any other Salem show I have participated in. I am very excited about my upcoming meetings. The brides, grooms, and moms I was able to meet this weekend blessed me with their time and attentiveness to me and my girls. If this year continues in the direction it is headed, we will have one of our most successful years yet.

Way to go Oregon Wedding Showcase!! You really did a great job this year.

Newly designed website

2012-01-24T10:33:00.000-08:00

For a couple months now I have been working with a designer to build a new website. As much as I loved using this blog as my website I felt it was time to step it up. Holly Amlin was an intern for my studio mate Red Pearl Designs. In her internship she designed Megan's site I thought she did a nice job for Megan, so I hired her to redo mine. Not only was Holly fun to work with, she stuck right on track with her timeline and fulfilled more than my expectations. I am so proud and excited to showcase my new site. When you have time check it out, www.withthisringwedding.com and then let me know what you think?

The Home Page

It's official and I'm so excited

2012-01-11T16:36:00.000-08:00

Over the last few weeks I have been meeting/talking with Cherie Ronning owner of the Portland Wedding Lounge. A space has opened up for another wedding consultant and Cherie has picked With This Ring to fill the space. What an honor!!! Cherie has been in the wedding industry for many years and her knowledge and experience is vast and highly respected. This opportunity has humbled me to know I am going to be working along side of some of Portland's most established and respected wedding professionals!

If you visit the Wedding Lounge's website you will find a new page for me, http://portlandweddinglounge.com/with-this-ring-wedding-and-event-planning/ as well as, the list of other vendors who are a part of the lounge. I am sooooo excited to have this space to meet with my Portland clients, and also to be associated with such a high quality group of vendors.

Look out Portland, here I come!!!

2011 was AMAZING

2011-12-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

Wow what a year and I mean WOW! If you had asked me to project what 2011 would be like at this time last year, I could never have imagined it would turn out the way it did. My year was so blessed and incredibly fun! Here are just a few of the highlights of 2011...


I introduced my new logo and branding


We hosted our largest and most successful wedding workshop The Salem Dream Wedding


We opened Studio 430 in Salem


We received two Best of Bride awards from the Oregon Bride Magazine

Also in 2011 we...

Had weddings on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday night
Did our first wedding on the Oregon Coast
Worked with more couples than on other year to date
Participated in our first Portland Bravo! wedding affair
and so much more...

I feel like I could go on and on, but the bottom line is that 2011 reminded me even more that I love what I do! I feel honored each and every time a bride says to me, "We want to hire you." My goal for 2012 is not to just book weddings, but to grow and learn new ways I can become a more valuable resource for my current and future clients. To approach every wedding like it is my only focus at that time and ensure couples that I am there to support and help them have the best wedding day, one that they look back on with fond memories and no regrets.

Merry Christmas to all and a happy New Year!

Jenn and Scott

2011-11-14T10:21:00.001-08:00

Here is just a few pictures from the wedding of our 2011 Salem Dream Wedding winners Jenn and Scott. What a beautiful day it was out at Zenith Vineyards, things could not have been better. The day was flawless, the bride was radiant, and the food was great thanks to Willaby's Catering.

Mr. & Mrs. Woodward

Holiday Party Ideas

2011-11-01T15:30:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love the holidays, and I mean LOVE them. I wish I could decorate my house to the nines and host all kinds of parties!!! One thing I have yet to do in my business venture is plan a cooperate business party. I have done plenty of small business/personal holiday parties but none that brought tones of decorations and fun entertainment. This got me to thinking about what I would do if I had the chance, well this is one idea I found while dreaming of a big budget, haha!!

Santa hats with names. I love to sew and I thought I would be such a fun idea to get the dollar store hats and use an embroidery machine to put each guest names on the hat and it doubles as a favor for them to take home! I even saw on a website where someone took a picture of all the employees at that party with the hats on and used it as the company holiday card. How fun is that?!?!?

"I'm dreaming of a holiday party. Just like the ones I wish I had..."

Salem Dream Wedding 2011 Winners

2011-10-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

As some of you may remember we hosted a workshop in February this year called the "Salem Dream Wedding" at Events at Copper Hill. Jenn and Scott were the winners of our grand prize which included over $3500 of product and services from 14 Salem area vendors. These are just a few pictures from their engagement session with Sela Photography who is also photographing their wedding next week!! It has come up so fast that I am almost sad it is so close to their big day. I could not have picked a better couple to have won our prize. They had no idea going into their plans what even happened during a ceremony. Jenn, bless her heart, is the only bride I have ever worked with that has never come to any of our meetings with a book, pictures, or even any inspiration. She knew her colors and her groom and that was it!!!

Watching this wedding unfold and come together has been a great joy. After the wedding next week I will come back and post pictures for everyone to see how things turned out. Along with some details for our next Salem Dream Wedding which is slated to happen early February 2012!!

Zenith Vineyard, the location of their wedding

Bravo! Portland

2011-10-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you have never been to a Bravo! Wedding Affair then you are truly missing out! This last February I had the honor in participating in my first Bravo! Affair as a vendor and Willamette Valley room coordinator. We had so much fun in our room with Flip Flop Sounds, White Rose Bakery, and Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill. This year we are looking at having a few new vendors in our room one, of which, I am really excited about, Danner and Soli who has some amazing wedding decorations that are sure to take the decor of our room to the next level!!

So mark you calendars for Sunday, November 4 from 11 am- 4 pm at the Embassy Suites and Hotel in downtown Portland!!

2012 Intern possition

2011-09-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

I am currenly in the process of accepting applications for a 2012 intern. For those interested please email a resume with cover letter to kzuniga@withthisringwedding.com. Please include reasons why specifically you are interested in wedding and event planning, what you hope to learn from this possition and any time restrants you may have.

A few details...
-5 hours a week unpaid industry research work
-Paid hours on event days
-MUST be willing to work evenings and weekends on event days
-MUST be able to show kindness and patience to clients in all situations

2011-09-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

The Lodge at Gearhart

Something I have always dreamed of doing is planning a wedding at the beach. This year I finally got my wish. Even though the ceremony was not technically in the sand, it was still an amazing location (as you can see in the picture above). The Lodge at Gearhart was a very neat facility. The couple rented it for the entire weekend which allowed 26 of their guests and bridal party to all stay at the location. This made rehearsal, decorating and clean up much easier than any other destination wedding I have ever seen. It was so convenient, in fact, that we were done setting up over 3 hours before the wedding started. Everyone had plenty of time to shower and get ready before pictures started. I am going to tuck this little gem in my back pocket and save it!!!

I only have a few pictures from my point and shoot camera, but I couldn't wait to show everyone how wonderful this wedding turned out.

Each table was named after a street in Portland that the couple had gone on a date.
A small chalk board with each guest name was placed on the table for a second reference.

Programs were designed to look like a for sale flier

Ceremony at the far end by the ocean
Dinner to the right nestled in the trees
Dancing and appetizers at the tables near the house

Ceremony as the sun came down

and finally, dancing with Design Band until the noise curfew
made us shut things down.

Lauren and Adam

2011-09-17T13:18:00.000-07:00

Lauren and Adam

This summer has been the busiest I have had in my 8 summers of being a wedding planner! What a blessing and growing time it has been for me to get a chance to meet and work for so many sweet couples and their families. Lauren and Adam's wedding was back in June and now that I have some pictures I just had to share them with you. I loved the colors that the bride chose. Bold and eye catching, but still classy!! This was also a special wedding for me because they had their reception at the same location I had mine. It brought back so many fun memories for me from my wedding over 9 years ago. I have more pictures on my Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150446629047571.463160.100555972570&l=91fda7485f&type=1
Photography by Whimsy Hollow Photography http://www.whimsyhollowphotography.com/

Juli and Carter

2011-07-24T16:28:00.000-07:00

Over the last few summers I have started seeing couples getting married that I was a leader at church when they were in middle school. One might think it would make them feel old, but for me it has been a joy to be a part of. I love seeing these wonderful kids moving through different stages in life and being part of their wedding day just completes the fun!!

Juli and Carter were married at Beckenridge Vineyard last month and the day was wonderful. The details and love that went into the planning were clearly shown on the day.

Wheat and dried flowers were set in mason jar with beans, rice and other dried color coordinated grains.

The flowers

And of course the amazing view over the vineyard. The Oregon weather actually held out for us with no rain for the entire day!! Beckenridge is such a beautiful setting for the wedding as well as it was captured by a really talented photographer, Kris Stalnaker. If you want to see more pictures from the wedding, visit my Facebook page, WTR weddings on Facebook

Oregon Bride Magazine

2011-07-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

So the fact that I have not posted in a month describes how busy I have been for the last 30 days!! What an amazing month I have had and I am so happy that I finally have the chance to sit down and share it with my readers. Since my last post I have had three weddings, my 9th wedding anniversary, my sons 4th birthday, two trips to the coast, one trip to Bend, and the Oregon Bride Magazine Best of awards ceremony. My life is beyond blessed I tell ya!!!

THE BIG NEWS!!!
I am so excited to share that at the Oregon Bride Magazine event I was honored to win two awards and be a finalist in a third category. Our new meeting space downtown, Studio 430 won the editor's pick for "The Best New Team" and I was personally voted the "Best New Vendor in the Valley." I know there are some of you that realize I am not really "new" I have had my business since 2003, however, there are so many new and exciting things going on with "With This Ring" that I am actually really honored to have been voted for by brides and fellow vendors. The best way I can describe it is like this. When someone wins best new artist, you know they have been singing for years, it's just that something happened that caused everyone to stop and notice. I believe this was that year for me, with my new studio, my updated logo and cards, and all the new amazing vendors and brides I have met over the last year, I am really loving the direction things are going for me and my business.

Below you will find a few pictures my husband snapped during the event last month.

Me and Megan with our Studio and my awards

Just received my award

A small glimpse of the crowd

The cover models

Gown runway show

Megan and me with our silly husbands

Megan won best invites for the valley,
so proud to share a space with her

Photography for Melissa and Griffin

2011-06-14T11:15:00.000-07:00

I must admit I am a little excited about this one! We all know photographers, just about anyone with a camera these days think they are one. But what quality are you really getting? I have the honor of having worked with some amazing photographers over the years, if you were to ask me who's the best I honestly could not tell you, they are all different personalities, styles and price ranges. However, I can tell you when someone is NOT a good photographer and I knew helping Melissa and Griffin find a good one in their price range was not going to be easy, or so I thought!

I do not like to ask favors, I never want to be the wedding planner that get's their call forwarded to voice mail because they are always asking for something. What I do want to be in the one who knows the right people to ask so that no one is giving up anything or losing money but the couple gets high quality service from awesome vendors. This is the approach I took with the task of finding a quality photographer. I looked through my list of contacts and emailed only the ones who were good and came close to the budget we were trying to stay within. Richard Roman from Roman Studios in Eugene was able to take our budget and needs and create a package that has delighted and excited the couple. If you can, take some time to look through his work and get to know him and his wife, I guarantee you will come away with a life long friend, I know I did!!

Here are a few pictures I stole from his website from a wedding we did together a few years back.

Nothing without you!!!

2011-06-09T23:49:00.000-07:00

I am sitting her tonight finalizing my content for the Bravo wedding guide. As I am going through my photographers I am getting this overwhelming feeling of joy from the amazing pictures I have. Here is what I mean...

The picture I took

The one Sela Photogrpahy took!

Need I say more!!! My word, the pictures I snap with my little camera do nothing for the amazing details of the day that photographers who know what they are doing. If it were for the talent I have worked with over the years, I would have no pictures to show for all the hard work and care that go into these weddings.

Venue picked - Melissa and Griffin

2011-06-01T09:35:00.000-07:00

This last weekend was a very busy one for Melissa. She not only spent Saturday trying on wedding dresses, and getting bridal burt out, but she and Griffin made a decision on the venue for the wedding and set the date.

The contenders:

Abernethy Center | Abernethy Website
Normally I would not suggest this place to a couple who have a really tight budget, but they have a deal when you book your wedding later in the season the charge half the price. This, coupled with the fact that their catering minimum is also cut in half, made it worth a look. The grounds are beautiful, two well manicured gardens, both with covered reception areas in case of rain and it is just a few miles from the airport for out of town guests. In the end the gratuity put the venue just over what we were hoping to stay within, so we moved on.

Deepwood Estate | Deepwood Website
Another beautiful option for a garden wedding. The rental fee for the entire grounds is reasonable for Salem, there is an additional fee for the covered tent area and with Oregon, I believe, you should always keep your guests "covered" just in case. This is a beautiful location which I believe is great for a lot of people. In the end, the groom was not really set on how close it was to Mission street, so we moved on.

Pringle Hall | Pringle Website
Another great budget place that not too many people know about is the Pringle Hall at Pringle park. This location is nice because it has a full kitchen inside the hall. They include tables and chairs for the inside of the hall and have a nice patio outside for additional seating. There is a beautiful bridge over the creek that lead guest from the parking lot to the hall and there are many places with natural backgrounds that make for beautiful pictures. The decision was made not to have the wedding here because they felt is was a little to close to the Salem Hospital.

AND The Winner Is????
Beckenridge Vineyard | Beckenridge Website
After viewing this, and several other locations, the couple decided that Beckenridge was the perfect location for their wedding. It is set out in the hills of Dallas, quiet and with beautiful views of the west Salem valley and several things available that put this venue right in there budget.

I am certain they would have had a nice wedding at any of the locations we considered, but I have to say I am so happy with their selection. I have done several weddings at Beckenridge and I really enjoy working with their team. September 4th, 2011 here we come!!!

Challenge Accepted!!

2011-05-27T14:19:00.000-07:00

Meet Melissa and Griffin. They are my newest couple I have the joy of working with!! I have known Melissa for a few years through a mutual friend and just barley over a week ago she came to visit me at Simply Grand Bridal to share her exciting news! As Melissa and I have been chatting over the last couple weeks I have realized that she is a great example of what a lot of brides are doing these days. Dream wedding on a tight budget. I have always believed that a bride should, and can, have an amazing wedding regardless of the budget. Now this does not mean that they will have everything they want, but I know we can find ways to make things work that are very nice and special. So instead of doing the hypothetical wedding like I was going to, I am going to blog our way through the planning of Melissa and Griffin's wedding. Here is the cool thing, they want to be married sooner than later. They are a couple who has chosen to wait to live together until they are married, so time is a tick'in!! We are planning a early September wedding so Melissa can have the garden/vineyard wedding she has always dreamed and because of this, we get a quick look at the entire process. We are currently in the process of finding the venue. Once they have chosen the location, I will give you all the juicy details of where they looked, what they liked and didn't like about the places they looked at, and finally who the lucky winner is of their hard earned cash!!!!

Congratulation Melissa and Griffin. I am honored you have chosen me to be your wedding planner and allowed me to spot light you. This is going to fun for future brides to learn from your experience!!!

Attempt #1 - DIY wedding

2011-05-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have been thinking a lot about the idea of doing DIY wedding crafts. Since I had really wanted a beach wedding, but did not get one, I thought it would be fun for me to "plan" the wedding I would have had. I started looking at beach themed wedding ideas, and OH MY WORD are there a ton of things out that. I found this seashell boutonniere that I thought are really cool!! I have been really into crafty boutonniere's lately, ones made with more than just flowers. This was my inspiration for my first craft project.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/11106517/beach-bridal-wedding-seashell

I went to Joann's fabric, bought all the things I needed except I choose burlap for the backing. After that I broke out my glue gun sadly, though, it was never even warmed up!! I laid the seashells in every which way and could not come up with anything that looked nearly as cute as this one. So it's back to the drawing board for me!!! I wanted to post my failed project to show you that we can't always get what we want the first time and it is okay to mess up and start over. I have no idea what I am going to try for my next attempt, but I will be sure to share with you once I complete (or restart) it.

A new challenge

2011-05-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

Those who know me well know that I like a challenge and I LOVE to be busy. As I was working on somethings tonight I got another one of my many ideas. I have an Esty.com shop, but I have never really explored how best to use it. So what I was thinking was picking a theme and style for a "wedding" and doing lot of DIY projects for it. Something that will keep my little hands a crafting and my creativity flowing. If I had thought of this a little sooner I would have used my best friends wedding that happened a week and a half ago!! Oh well, I can use some of the same ideas but maybe change them up a bit. The only other idea might be if there us a bride who would open to all my ideas and allow me to really help her out with this kind of stuff. Any takers?!?!?!?!

Here is my first inspiration!
http://www.adventuresindressmaking.com/2011/05/as-promised-cute-burlap-boutonniere.html

Julia and Keith - May 15, 2011

2011-05-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

This wedding was so dear to me. I have known the bride for several years through church. She has an amazing story about her first husband and suffering the sad loss of him seven years ago. She is a strong, wonderful person who deserves very much to be happy. This last Sunday I had the joy of coordinating her wedding to a wonderful man, who also, lost his wife four years ago. Both amazing people brought together to begin a new family and happy joy-filled life.

The wedding was held at Mission Mill, photographed by Sela photography, cake by Uniquely Cakes, the dress was from Simply Grand Bridal, catered by Elegant Catering, and the decorations were provided and designed by Danner and Soli located at the Mission Mill Museum.

The day was wonderful, not too hot, but still enough sun breaks to get some much desired out door photographs. These are just a few snapshots I took throughout the day. It was a very nice flow, nothing seemed to be out of place or need any major attention. Except for the dad's button that I had to sew on!!

Enjoy!!!

Julia finishing setting up the aisle

The garden enterance

Rochelle putting the finishing touches on the cake

Simple garden elegance is just want the bride wanted

The cake (photo by Sela photography)

Keith and Julia (photo by Sela photography)

Here smile says it all!!

Me on the left and my faithful helper Julia on the right

Exciting new addition

2011-04-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

I love it when good things happen that you never could have imagined! This last week I was in hot pursuit for chair covers for a brides wedding when I hit the mother load!! I found a rental company that is selling their business. I have a meeting with her on Thursday to look over her entire inventory, but I know for sure that I am going to by purchasing chair covers in black, white and ivory. It is such a great deal that I am going to be able to offer them to my brides for a crazy awesome price.

Here is how I am going to offer these to my couples. If you are a contracted bride I will rent them for a charge $2/chair delivery included, the couple will be responsible for returning them. If the bride contracts me and my team to do the set up and clean up then I will reduce the price to $1. I would like to say no charge at all, but I am going to have to launder and press them after each wedding so that they are ready for the next bride.

I am so excited about this because chair covers are hard to find in Salem. No rental company that I know has them which leaves brides going to the internet or Portland. Don't get me wrong about going to Portland, it's just for the Salem brides that usually means a delivery fee. So now with my new stock of covers I can provide for my girls a service that will really take some stress away.

If you have any questions email me!! kzuniga@withthisrinwedding.com

The NW Wedding Contest

2011-04-16T23:46:00.000-07:00

The NW Wedding Contest

I was sitting here tonight being a good girl and getting some work done when this fun idea popped into my head. I want to do a wedding contest!!! I absolutely love to see what brides are coming up with for their weddings. I met with three separate brides today and each one was so wonderfully different that I ended my day with a smile from ear to ear!!

So this is what I want to do. If you are a bride and would love to share some of your unique and fun wedding plans, and maybe win a few prizes along the way, then let me know. Here’s how it’s gonna work…

-Four week contest, each week having it’s own theme

-At the end of the four weeks the bride with the most amount of combined votes from all four weeks wins

-Mini prizes each week

-The guidelines for each week will be emailed one week before the submission date (this is to give you time to get things together).

-Only 10 brides max may enter and they must be a current resident of the Pacific NW, anyone can vote!!

-You must be officially engaged and getting married during this 2011 wedding season

If you are interested in participating in the contest, email at kzuniga@withthisringwedding.com

Winners of the Grand Opening Prizes

2011-04-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

As you know, Wednesday we celebrated our Studio Grand Opening and had a blast! Thank you to everyone who came to support our event and see the new space, we appreciate you!

Also, a huge thank you to John Ross for serenading us with your beautiful music throughout the evening, to Simply Sugar Cookies for the delicious spread of sweets, to Rebecca Butler of Belle Fleur Floral Design for the lovely flowers and to Kathi of Simply Grand Bridal for allowing our guests to spill into her space next door! You all helped make the Grand Opening even more special for us =)

Without further adieu... I would like to announce the WINNERS of our fabulous raffle prizes!

MAURITA NICHOL :: Winner of Red Pearl Designs $100 Gift Certificate towards graphic design services!

MELISSA COMER :: Winner of Ashley Sturm Photography's $100 Gift Card towards Photography!

HOLLY KIMBALL :: Winner of With This Ring's $100 Gift Certificate towards wedding or event planning!

MICHELLE KENISTON :: Winner of the Felicity Boutique $20 Gift Card, 1 Package of sugar cookies fromSimply Sugar Cookies, and 1/2 off a makeup service with Alison Mora of Salon 554!

Congratulations to all the winners!
We will be in contact with you with information on how to collect your prize! Thanks again to all those who came to our Grand Opening. You're support meant the world to us!! =)

Grand Opening of our shared studio

2011-03-09T12:11:00.000-08:00

With This Ring, Red Pearl Designs, & Ashley Sturm Photography are proud to announce the Grand Opening celebration for our shared downtown space, Studio | 430! The date is set for April 6th, in conjunction with First Wednesday. What a great excuse to come downtown to see our space, and enjoy all the fun local events and sales taking place nearby. At our Grand Opening you can expect a tour through our cozy little studio, the live musical talents of John Ross, tasty nibbles and refreshments, several great prizes, and a chance to meet the owners behind each of our businesses. Be sure to check back for more details on our fun prizes. We look forward to seeing you!

To RSVP for the event visit our Facebook invite at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=206954102648237

Winners of the Salem Dream Wedding

2011-03-03T15:36:00.001-08:00

Jenn Brown and her fiancé Scott!!!

Our grand prize winners walked away with almost $3500 in product and services for their wedding, along with this stylish bag!! We also gave away 20 gift baskets to the first 20 brides and a dozen door prize drawings throughout the night. We had such a great time at the event. The attendance was great and I think every bride got to walk away with something fun and special. In a few weeks we will be posting a short video of the event so everyone can see how much fun we had. In the mean time, here are just a few pictures to highlight the night.

Welcome to the Salem Dream Wedding

Show and Tell Cookies

White Rose Bakery

Simply Grand Bridal

Flowers by Joanna

Phiz Day Spa

Last Chance

2011-02-23T22:27:00.000-08:00

Friday is the last day to get your tickets for the Salem Dream Wedding at the $10 price!! Several of our vendors still have tickets or you can purchase them on our website www.SalemDreamWedding.info. If you want to get them online I will keep them at Will Call so you can still be eligible to get a gift basket if you are one of the first 20 brides to show up!!

Bravo! Wedding Afair

2011-02-20T20:45:00.000-08:00

Today I had the great honor of being one of the vendors at the Bravo! wedding affair. Not only did we have a great time meeting brides we had a great room to represent the WV!! Flip Flop sound was there to keep the beets hoping, White Rose Bakery supplied yummy cup cakes to start the sugar rush, Mission Mill showed off their historic building and we sold more tickets to the Salem Dream Wedding (happening this Saturday). There's really nothing bad to say about our day :)

We had such a great time that we are already planning for the next show!!

Oregon Bride Best of 2011

2011-02-12T00:13:00.000-08:00

Right now Oregon Bride Magazine is taking votes for their "best of 2011" awards. It would be a great honor to receive this award. If you are a friend, vendor, or past client that believes I desirve something like this, please vote for me! When you cast your vote make sure to select valley. There are two categories for wedding planning, just pick the one you think fits me best. http://orbridemag.com/oregon-bride-best-2011-ballot

Thank you for all you support! PS, pictures of the new studio will be up soon!!! We should be finished on Monday.

A space of our own!!!

2011-02-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

So you may be wondering why I have not posted in almost a month?!? Well, it's becaues, and I am so excited to announce, that I am opening an office downtown Salem!!! Am amazing opportunity has come for me to create a space that I can use to meet with my couples in a private and useful area. I have decided to invite a couple other small business to share the space with me. Since I will only be using the space by appointment only I wanted to share the love with some well deserving vendor friends.

This picture was taken a few days ago, we currently have drywall up and painting is just a few short days away. We hope to be in the space by Friday to put the final touches in and create a wonderful place to host our meets. We will be having an open house sometime in the near future, but if you want to see the space before then you can swing by 430 Ferry Street SE, Salem. OR you can come to Simply Grand Bridal's Open House on February 17, from 7-9 pm. We have a secret passage between spaces, but shhhhh, don't tell!!!

Once the space is done and we are ready to show it off in all it's glory,I will post many more pictures.

Priorities

2011-01-04T14:37:00.000-08:00

Since we are at the beginning of the year with many new engagements and weddings in the works, I thought I would give a couple tips that will help get you started. These are things I always ask couples, whether they are newly engaged or just weeks away from the big day.

What are your priorities? What are the priorities of those paying?
It is very important to decide as a couple, then a family, what is most important.
What are you willing to give up to get those priorities?
Are you willing to give up the dream location to get married on a specific day or have a photographer that you just can't imagine not taking your pictures?
Who is helping with the planning? Who thinks they are helping with the planning?
If any parents are paying for the wedding they, by default, have some say in how the money is spent. I feel it is very important to establish who makes the final call, and that each person involved with planning, or not involved, knows their roll as soon as possible.

These are just some quick tips to get you started. If you are newly engaged and don't have anything planned yet, check out our event next month, www.SalemDreamWedding.info This event will be a great resource for planning tips and help, as well as, a chance to win free services and products.

Christmas Vacation

2010-12-21T17:33:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to have a vacation time with my family. We don't plan to do much, but most importantly we are going to relax and enjoy the next two week. I truly hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a fun and safe New Year.

Be back January 2011!!

Happy Holidays

New look and logo

2010-12-14T15:13:00.000-08:00

Today has been a day of creativity. I have been working on finishing Christmas presents for my family that I need to put in the mail, as well as, spending time redesigning my blog. As you can see my logo has changed. Megan from Red Pearl Design worked very hard for the past few months to help me have a logo that I am very proud of. She also redesigned my business cards and blog. I am very excited about the change, I felt it was a good time to reinvent myself and my business. Next on my list will be my fliers and a new website.

Salem Dream Wedding

2010-12-10T13:02:00.000-08:00

A fun video to introduce you to our photographer for the Salem Dream Wedding!

Christmas Traditions

2010-12-07T21:37:00.000-08:00

When I was a young bride-to-be I couldn't wait to start my new family traditions. I had so many grand ideas as to how birthdays, vacations and holidays were going to go. My mind was soaring with ideas. Well, I have been married 8.5 years now and I think only one tradition has stuck so far, haha!! When Josh and I went on our honeymoon we found a magnet at a local market that we really liked. It was cheap and small to carry in our bags, so we picked it up. Two years later when we went on our next vacation we found another magnet that we thought would look nice next to our one from Maui, so we got it. You can probably see where this is going?!?!? The rule is that we can not get any magnets unless we are there together and we both have to agree to purchasing it. Now I don't like things all over my frig, but when I look up there and see, the now, 15 magnets from all over the US and the world, I get so happy. Each trip is more of a magnet hunt for me now than a vacation. It's so much fun and I look forward to it each time. We have even planned a couple trips just so we could get magnets from certain places.

With Christmas only a few weeks away, this is a fun time to look at what you do naturally, as a person and a couple. What type of things bring joy to your relationship. To me, those are the things to focus on, not the horrible holiday sweaters, or nasty fruit bread. Enjoy the things that bring you closer together without effort, during this holiday season and throughout the year.

Happy Holidays!!!

Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner Etiquette

2010-11-30T16:00:00.000-08:00

I get a lot of questions about rehearsal and rehearsal dinner etiquette. Just about every wedding in fact. So I want to share some of my own wisdom and that of Martha Stewart to help guide your plans for the pre-wedding event.

Rehearsal from Martha:
The wedding rehearsal is a practice of the ceremony from beginning to end, allowing everybody involved to feel more confident about what will happen the next day. Anyone who plays a role in the ceremony should attend. This includes the officiant, the wedding party, readers, and parents. Walk through the ceremony, establishing the pace and timing, in the order each element will occur, and make sure all of the participants know their responsibilities. Bring the unity candle or anything else you will want to have in place for the following day. It's also smart to have some programs and copies of any readings on hand for people to follow along.

From Katie:
Music-I also like to ask the musicians and/or the DJ to attend rehearsal. More often than not the music is what signals the start of a particular portion of the ceremony. If the musicians don't rehearse with us, how will they know when to start.

Marriage License-Bring your marriage license. There are two parts to your marriage license. The pretty part and the official part. I suggest getting, at least, the official part done before the wedding and leave the pretty part for pictures on the wedding day. This allows you to make sure your wedding is official done before you leave for your honeymoon.

Guest book-Bring your guest book. All of your family and friends involved at the wedding will be very busy on the day of. Give them some time to write their congratulations down while them have time. This can work at both the rehearsal and the dinner.

Rehearsal dinner from Martha:

The decisions have all been made, and your loved ones are arriving in town. It's the eve of your wedding and time to relax before the excitement of the day dawns. The rehearsal dinner is a wonderful opportunity to savor this special moment with good friends and family in an intimate setting. Depending on the guest list and budget, and the wishes of the hosts, the event can be anything from a formal banquet to a casual outdoor picnic.

From Katie:
Who pays-Traditionally the rehearsal dinner is paid for by the grooms parents. I suggest talking with your groom in private to see if this tradition will be followed. If so, then I suggest talking with your mother-in-law to be in private about guest list and budget. This will help relieve some stress and allow you to connect with her without making her feel awkward.

Who's invited-Most often the rehearsal dinner if for those involved in the rehearsal and their immediate family. However, it is not uncommon to extend an invitation to those out of town guest who arrive the day before. Make sure to discuss with your groom and whoever is paying how additional guests will be paid for before they are invited. You, or your parents, might want to pitch in a few bucks to cover any guest overage.

Invites-It is best to send out an invitation to both the rehearsal and dinner. This ensures that everyone knows where and when they are suppose to be there. The invites can be as informal as an electronic invitation to a scaled down version of your wedding invites. Either way, letting everyone involved know what you need them to do is always a good thing.

For more etiquette help feel free to email me with your questions, kzungia@withthisringwedding.com

Winter Wedding Tips

2010-11-23T16:13:00.000-08:00

It's no secrete to those who know me that I love the holiday season and winter time. The first year I was married I was so excited to make ornaments and a tree skirt. Actually, I wanted a winter wedding, but "settled" with a June one so that we could go to Hawaii for a nice hot honeymoon, I know settled right!!

So what does all this have to do with a winter wedding. Nothing really, haha!! But here are a couple tips I would like to share for the upcoming winter season.

1. Rain: Consider having your ushers ready to meet you guests at their cars with umbrellas. I would not suggest the groomsmen because their attire might get dirty when walking through the rain or snow. Also, some facilities have golf carts. These are great for elderly guests or ones with young children. See if they will let you use it.

2. Hot Drink Bar: Everyone loves a warm drink. So why not serve hot cider, tea, coffee, or lattes at happy hour, as a signature drink, or even in to go cups as they are leaving. You could personalize a coffee sleeve to say thank you and they would become your party favors.

3. Reception Meal: Let's follow that warmness with some hot soup maybe in bread bowls for dinner. Nothing says winter more to me than a yummy vegetable soup and sour dough bread!! (I'm getting hungry)

4. Sugar Cookie Cakes: This is not to specific to winter weddings, but I definitely think of Christmas when I bake sugar cookies. Here is a link to Martha Stewart's cut idea for sugar cookie cakes. sugar-cookie-cakes

Finally, I want to show off my first stocking I have ever made. I am really proud of it because I didn't have anything to go on except what was in my head. There are a couple flaws, but for my first one and with nothing to guide me, I am happy with it. It even has a lining and batting, too!!! We'll see if I make more, but it sure did fill my crafting itch for today.

Gluten Free

2010-11-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

A growing concern in America is gluten. Gluten free food is popping up everywhere, you don't have to just shop at stores like Traders Joe's and Wholefoods anymore. Also, many restaurants like Outback, PF Changs and Red Robin offer a gulten free menu. One of my closest friends is gluten intolerant and it has opened my eyes to the importance of being sensitive to friends and family. Even if you are not aware of someone who is intolerant, I would like to suggest having gluten free options at your wedding. This is a real serious allergy and is one that can not be "fudged" even a little. Your food can't even touch a grill or spatula that has touched food with gluten, it's called cross contamination. Here is a link to Wikipedia so that you can learn more about what gluten is, you can't just look at a label for gluten as an ingredient, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gluten

I also want to suggest you look into a gluten free dessert option, here is a link to a baker in Portland who makes gluten free cakes. I have never used them before, but it would be worth setting up a tasting and viewing their work. http://www.pieceofcakebakery.net/home/index.php

I have also found a blog call Gluten Free Mama, http://glutenfreemamafriends.blogspot.com She shares all kinds of recipes to help anyone eat healthier and gluten free.

If you do decide to have these options at your reception, make sure to have everything properly labeled and served with their own utensils or possibly at their own table.

If you have any other questions or concerns about gluten allergies, contact your physician.

Win Tickets for the Salem Dream Wedding Give a Way

2010-11-10T16:13:00.000-08:00

I must be getting into the holiday spirit!! At every store I go to decorations are starting to come up, Christmas music is playing, I have started working on cards for my friends and family, I even have two presents purchased and I am working on the third. I love the holidays!!!

Okay so I have decided to change things up a bit for our contest. Instead of having our drawing on January 1st, we will have it on December 18th, one week before Christmas. And instead of only giving you one chance to enter, I am going to give you up to six!!! Here's what you do...

1. Tell friends about the event on your Facebook wall with a link to our website

2. RSVP to the event on our Facebook event invite, click here to see it Salem Dream Wedding Event RSVP

3. Post a link to your Twitter account

4. Blog about the event and share the link

5. Begin following our blog

6. Post a comment to this posting explaining why you want to win the tickets

You can learn more about the even by visiting, www.salemdreamwedding.info

Once you have done any, or all of these, email me with what you have done and I will make sure you have credit for all your entries.

Good luck!!!

Saving money at home

2010-11-08T09:32:00.000-08:00

I was thinking about my Make it Monday post this weekend and I decided to share with you some things I do to save money at home. I think this might benefit you because if you are saving money on your day to day things, you will have more money for your wedding. Plus, I have really enjoyed doing my part to not use as much energy and resources. Okay so here are some changes we have made in our family to help cut grocery costs and save on bills.

1. I am a coupon shopper. I get the Sunday paper and save the coupons. I go to websites like, The Grocery Game and Frugal Living NW to get insider tips on sales in my area. I use all store club cards like Safeway and Walgreen's. I just got a $5 gift certificate to Walgreen's just because I scan my card when I shop and fill my prescriptions there. Plus you can load coupons to your Safeway and Fred Meyer cards for additional savings!

2. I also use Swagbucks.com I have received $20 in Amazon gift cards just by searching normal things I would look for online. It is a cool deal!

3. We have replaced all the light bulbs in our home with efficient ones, even the dining room has them now. I honestly saw a difference in our bill the next month.

4. I get together with my friends and we cook meals to put in our freezer. Not only does this cut down on the cost of groceries because you are sharing the bill, but it helps you to have meals in your house so that you are not getting take out on days you don't have time to cook. PLUS we always have leftovers for lunch the next day, again, better to have yummy leftovers than getting fast food.

5. We keep our heater at 65 degrees during the day and 55 degrees at night. This might not be for everyone, but we don't mind wearing long sleeves at home. We also use our wood burning fireplace to heat the house when we have wood.

6. We have a budget. For some this is a given, but I know people who don't keep one. This really helps me stay accountable to living within our means. I have a curtain amount for groceries, gas, entertainment (like going to the movies or eating out with friends), clothes, gift giving, etc. This budget helps me plan for my month. If I have a lunch date towards the end of the month, then I make sure to eat at home and watch Netflix online at the beginning of the month. I only buy clothes for myself and my family that we need, and I don't spend a ton of money on crafts and sewing projects (which could really get away from me if I let it ;).

7. Don't buy it unless you have the money. We put nothing on credit cards that we can not pay off the next bill. We use an AMEX from Costco to get the cash back bonus each year, but we pay the card off each month. We have a savings account that we have a scheduled transfer to each month. I set it up like a bill so that I know we are saving the money. When we want to buy something like a new tv or a video game, we look at this account. If the money is not in there, we don't get it.

8. I almost forgot to mention a couple little things. First, our tv has an Eco Solutions option that turns down the brightness and uses less energy. Second, when we leave, for even one night, we turn everything off and unplug everything. If something is plugged in but not being used, like a toaster, it is still drawing power. So we keep all unused appliances unplugged until needed (like the toaster, coffee pot, accent lamps, etc)

I hope these tips help you save in some way. They have helped my husband and I be debt free except for our house and with that we even pay more on the mortgage each month which will help us pay it off sooner and not pay as much interest. If you have any questions about our method, please let me know, I would be happy to answer any questions.

Salem Dream Wedding - Tickets on sale now!!!

2010-10-21T15:56:00.000-07:00

If you haven't got a change to check out our event, Salem Dream Wedding, I would love for you to. http://salemdreamwedding.blogspot.com/ Just today I was able to announce that Events at Copper Hill is our venue and we know can start selling tickets. We have lots of great things planned for the event, so please check it out.

Make it Monday-Napkins

2010-10-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Make it Monday is my new version of Me and Martha Monday. I am really wanting to do project and show things to brides that I am not finding on Martha Stewart weddings, so I am changing it up a little.

For this weeks Make it Monday I am going to be giving you napkin ideas. This weekend I spent some time with my Aunt Lorna who has some amazing sewing tools. I took the opportunity to make some cloth napkins. It was so incredibly easy that I knew I wanted to share it with you. So all I did was buy my fabric at the store with a coupon. When you buy one single cut of fabric at Jo-Ann's is counts to get 50% the entire piece. So it can be very affordable. I used my Aunts quilting square, view here, to make sure they were all the same size. Then I used her surging machine to make a simple rolled hem.

Now just for fun, and because I had never used an embroidery machine, I decided to add a little decoration to them. If you know someone who has a machine you could put your wedding date, your last name or initial if you want to use them at home after the wedding. Here is what I did.

This was a really simple project, you would just need to have someone you know who can let you use their machines.

I also wanted to suggest Ikea for a great place to get napkins. They have a great set of napkins called Fantastisk, view here You get 50 napkins for $2, I don't know any place with this nice a napkin for that price. These are super nice and if you still wanted to add a personal touch you could stamp them with your initials or last name.

To Hope and To Hold

2010-10-13T09:52:00.000-07:00

I have made a decision about my non-profit idea. I am really excited about the way things are moving forward. Here is a link to the blog I have started, http://tohopeandtohold.blogspot.com/ I am hoping that I can really use this as a way to help my community and those around us.

Me and Martha Project Change

2010-10-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

First I want to apologize for not having a project last week. I helped a bridal shop at a bridal show that weekend and didn't get home until late on Monday. I was so tired from hauling dresses for three days that I just crashed when I got home.

So after looking over Martha's website this week I decided to make a change to my project. There are a few new things on the site, but after doing projects for two months, I am running out of things to do. So instead of doing a Martha project every week, I am going to change to just doing a project. It might still be Martha, but not always. I love to blog/craft hunt, so I think it will be fun.

So for today, since I haven't found a project yet, I am going to share with you a very exciting event I am going to be attending next month. I decide to go because I am constantly trying to better myself as a wedding planner. One way to do that is to keep up with what's going on in America with weddings. My husband found out about this event and shared it with me right away because he knew I would be excited about it. It's called The Most Ridiculous Wedding Event Ever and it is put on by celebrity wedding planner, Mindy Weiss. I am really hoping to learn some awesome stuff from some really amazing wedding/event planning professionals, as well as, get some fun ideas for my February event, The Salem Dream Wedding Give a Way!

A non-profit idea

2010-10-08T23:02:00.000-07:00

For a while now I have not been able to get an idea out of my head. I would love to have a bridal resale store that it's sole purpose is to raise money for a cause. My heart is very close to breast cancer research and foster/children needing adoption. I am not sure where to start with this, but I do know for sure that I am going to start looking into it. If you have any ideas or suggestions I would love to hear them, so please comment or email!! I really want to see this happen because I know that so many future brides, as well as, women/children could use the help and support.

Pictures of past weddings

2010-10-08T16:35:00.000-07:00

I was so excited today to get pictures from a couple of my August weddings. I love to have pictures to remember each wedding I have done. Sadly I am missing about a half dozen or so, but some brides are hard to keep in contact with after the wedding. Especially when they don't use a photographer that I know or am able to keep in touch with. Non the less, I had a great time looking at the pictures so I decided to update my portfolio on my Facebook fan page. If you are interested in seeing more photos of past wedding click the following link and it should take you to my fan page. Search With This Ring Wedding or click the following link http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php?campaign_id=368885149649&placement=pgall&extra_1=0#!/pages/Vancouver-WA/With-This-Ring-Weddings/100555972570

Here's a little preview!!!

Salem Dream Wedding - Day Spa

2010-10-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

You can also learn more about Phiz Spa on the website, http://phizspa.com

Alex and Kenny

2010-10-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Each year I have a wedding that redefines me as a wedding planner. This wedding was it! I have know the grooms family for many years and it was an honor to be a part of this special time for them. On top of that, getting to know the bride and her family was a treasure I will store for a life time. So all that mushy stuff to say, this wedding was incredible. We packed out the church at around 800 guests +/- I lost count when we started adding chairs, and I have never had to send someone to get pizza because all of the food ran out. They had snow cones, cotton candy, a photo booth, and a bounce house. It was truly a celebration of two families coming together. You can see more pictures at http://www.erichmcveyblog.com/ I am really excited to see all of them once they are published. Having photo's in my portfolio reminds me to stick with it through the rough times. I love what I do and feel so humbled when a couple picks me to walk beside them. Pictures like this bring back all those wonderful memories every time I look at them.

Me and Martha Monday Project #12

2010-09-27T10:08:00.000-07:00

Since we have entered into a new season I thought it would be fun to do a fall wedding project and what says fall better than tea and hot drinks!!! This was not a actual DIY project on Martha Stewart Weddings however, I found it under the inspiration page and really like it. The design that is show in the photography on the left is very classy to me, but I don't like the idea of having open tea bags sitting out. I personally would not use mine if I were a guest at this wedding. So for my project I chose a tea bag that is in it's own bag and went well with my cloth napkins. Which brings up my ideas. If you like this idea you could go anyway with it. I am going to use a bag and napkin that will "go" with the color theme of a wedding, however, you could also do a tea that could be considered the signature drink of the couple. I also think that there are several way you can display them for the guest. I am choosing to tuck them in the napkin so that they would be at each place setting. (It's really my favorite way to showcase favors) and in a coffee cup for those who may not have napkins at each setting.

I used a cream paper and outlined the tag in black. I did this for two reason, one my paper was very close to the color of my napkin and I wanted to put some separation between them, and two, I like my tags as straight as possible and having the lines for cutting helps A TON!!! Here is the link to Martha Stewart Weddings fall favor page, http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/fall-wedding-favors

With a cloth napkin

In a coffee cup

Meet our florist - Flowers by Joanna

2010-09-22T15:35:00.000-07:00

Ring Bearer Pillow

2010-09-22T10:16:00.000-07:00

As anyone can see who reads my blog, I love crafting and creating!! Yesterday one of my best friends and I went to the fabric store and went crazy!! I found so many beautiful fabrics that my "wanter" was going crazy. We did get several fabrics to make ring bearer pillows, flower girl bags, veils and a few other little things to create along the way. So here is our first pillow. It was a fun thing to make picking out the bells and ribbon to accent the red fabric. At first I thought this would be a great winter wedding pillow, but then I started thinking back to all the summer weddings I did where red was the main accent color. Here are a couple pictures of it, if you are interested in it or any of our other products you can check them out on our Esty.com store at http://www.etsy.com/shop/WithThisRingWedding

The bells up close

Me and Martha Monday Project #11

2010-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Okay so again this week I am straying from an actual Martha Stewart Project. Instead I did something inspired by pictures of a "Real Wedding" featured on her site (picture on left). Just recently I have been finding a lot of fun in folding cloth napkins. I recently picked up a set of 8 at Goodwill for $2. They were brand new in the package from Target. I was totally excited to find them.

Since my wedding where the caterer folded the napkin to showcase our truffle favors, I have always wanted to learn the art of folding. I found a website, http://www.napkinfoldingguide.com/that gives you 27 napkin folds with step by step photographed instructions. I have tried every single one. The one I featured below is not the most simple, but I felt it was the most elegant for the dinner I had prepared. If you don't have the money in your budget to rent cloth napkins for all your guest, I suggest just highlighting the head table and maybe the parents tables. They can really add style and elegance to your reception decor.

New T-shirt design - Maid of honor

2010-09-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

Here is my latest design for a Maid of Honor. When my best friend got married, back in 2000, I purchased bridal party t-shirt for all the girls to wear at the bachelorette party. It was a simple and fun way to show everyone that we were out to celebrate Diana and her wedding that Saturday. You can view this and all my designs at http://www.e-shirt.com

Me and Martha Monday Project #10

2010-09-13T11:03:00.000-07:00

I spent a lot of time on Martha Stewart Weddings this weekend looking for a project for today. It's not that I couldn't find a project to do, it was that they have so many templates that you can download for all kinds of projects. I actually became jealous of all the things that Martha's website has to offer brides. I know she has been in the business for a LOT longer than me and she has so many people working for her that she probably doesn't even know all the stuff on the site. Non the less, I really enjoyed seeing all the stuff there is for brides, I actually wish that this was available years ago when I got married, still a little jealous!!!

Okay so on to my project. I picked this one because I have lots of paper and velum and I wanted to try and make the bag myself. Depending on the bride, time frame, and budget. I would so much more recommend that you purchase the bags rather than make them. Small gift bags come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I have even bought clear bags from The Paper Zone.

I started by printing out the template

Then cut it on my paper trimmer

I found a bag template online, but since it printed weird I copied and pasted to publisher so I could get the entire template on one sheet.

Then I cut out the velum.

I was not happy with the combination so I changed and printed the flowers on velum and the bag on green card stock.

Since the template was already cut out I laid it flush so I had two less cuts to make.

And these were the final products. I like the one on the left better, but since it is card stock it will not close. So I added some tissue. But I decided to make one more change.

I cut one of the flowers down to fit inside a clear plastic bag. I got these from The Paper Zone and they are pretty reasonable prices. This one is almost the size of a business card. So if you were going to fill it with candy or flower seeds, it would be a perfect size to keep the cost down, but give your guests a nice gift.

New Blog Features

2010-09-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

If you haven't noticed I have some new features on the blog. I am so excited to be able to add "pages" to my site. If you have a minute check them out at the top of the page just under the banner. I believe/hope they will help me communicate with future brides. Also, if you have time, check out my two new t-shirt designs at our E-shirt store, http://www.e-shirt.com/MyShop.asp?ShowAll=&iTtlNumItems=8&txtStoerID=&txtProdID=&CatProduct=&ShopID=5137&SectionID=&cboSort=3&cboPerPage=6

As always, custom orders are welcome, like fonts and text (ie. maid of honor, flower girl etc.).

Video Blog for the Dream Wedding Give a Way

2010-09-09T16:29:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know I am putting on an event in February for brides getting married in the Salem Oregon area. One of the things I have decided to do is video blog about each vendor. I am hoping that this will help couples get a more personal look at who is involved and what they have to offer. So please take a minute and visit the dream wedding blog to view the video and learn more about our fun event!!!

http://salemdreamwedding.blogspot.com

Early Me and Martha Monday - Project 9

2010-09-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

Since I am going to be out of town on vacation with my family this Monday, I decided to do the project early. I picked this project because I have always wanted to make one of these, and I already had everything I needed in my stash. One reason I really liked this project is that, I never messed up! It seems that my first time through projects I usually find some way to make a mistake, with this project, other than glue on my fingers, I did it right all the way through. Here is the link to Martha's website. http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/place-seating-card-templates They actually give you pdf templates of ribbon if you want to print it instead of buy the ribbon. I had a bunch left over from a wedding last month so I decided to use that.

I started with these supplies. Instead of buying a board I used the bottom of a box I got from Costco yesterday.

I wrapped the board in a white fabric since the colors of the wedding were black, white and pink

I laid out my pattern and cut the ribbon to length

I hot glued the ribbon on the back, if I had used a piece of wood, I would have used a staple gun instead,

Since I don't have any place cards to test it out, I used a photo strip of my family. Which is a good example of how you can use the ribbon board in your home after the wedding.

Me and Martha Monday Project #8

2010-08-30T17:06:00.000-07:00

Can you believe I have already been doing the Me and Martha project for 2 months? I love crafting so much that once I finish my project for that week I am already looking forward to my next one and I seem to mentally skip the days in between (that might also be due to the fact that I am a mother to a 3 year old and I am trying to get to know Vancouver, Washington ha!)

Okay onto my next project. This little project is so cute and I think that it is something that could work at any wedding. Martha provides the templates for the front and inside, which are great, but they print a lot lighter than what is shown, one so much that you can't even read it. Another thing I wish was different is that you can't change the color or the instructions on the inside. I had planned to put sunflower seeds on the inside of mine but since I can't edit it I would need forget me knots. If you know how to use publisher or know a graphic designer, these would be a snap to make your own design. If you are a perfectionist, like I tend to be, you might want to get these professionally cut. I was cutting my first one and I didn't like the little bit of white showing on the side and ended up ripping the paper trying to trim the edge. You can see it in my picture below.

Okay here is the next mistake I made. I cut my pieces out before I scored them. If I had read the instructions all the way through I would have not cut off the guide lines, oops! Now the next thing I did was add my own personal touch. I am not much into staples so I decided to add an eyelet. I have this totally awesome tool called a Crop-A-Dile. I had not used it yet, so I decided that this was the project to break her in. I didn't do so good at first!! I guess it takes a little practice, but I love what my end result was.

Bottom line, I LOVE this project and I plan to use it for something in the future, whether the upcoming bridal shows or a bridal shower for a friend. Here is the link http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/seed-matchbook-favors-how-to?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/favor-packaging-templates#slide_15

Inside

The funky eyelet. I didn't like it so I changed styles.

The Back

A budget bride

2010-08-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong, I love to work with any bride who needs my help, but I just can't ignore it anymore. I have a special place in my heart for the "budget" bride. I know that the word budget is different for everyone. A bride in NY might look at a $50,000 wedding and think, no way! Where as a Salem bride would probably faint if her parents gave her that much to spend. I love the bride who has a vision, a dollar amount, and a desire to create and dream with me. Whether it's $5,000 or $50,000 a wedding can be unique and special and that is why I am enjoying this Me and Martha project. Martha Stewart weddings is really doing a great job of enabling a couple to dream big with whatever amount they have. So I am looking forward to the next month of projects. I plan to dive in a little deeper and try some projects that are just outside my comfort zone.

Me and Martha Monday project #7

2010-08-23T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay I did it again! I had chosen a project from Martha Steward weddings, but I just couldn't shake the need to make a bridal veil. So today when my good friend Mary came to visit, we went to Joann's Fabric and found some patterns and I just couldn't resist!! The best part was I already had some tulle and a small comb in my stash of craft supplies, so once dinner was over I looked through my stuff and created this little cutie. Since it is my first go at this type of veil, there are a couple things I would like to change, but the best part is I learned a TON about how to gather a veil for this two layer effect. I placed the comb is such a way that it can be worn on top of your head like this, ( a way to be a blushing bride if you desire) or tucked under your hair like the next photo.

This design measures 14 inches from the comb to the bottom of the longest layer and 12 inches for the shorter one. Why aren't there any pictures of the process you ask? Because I was so involved in figuring this pattern out that I never stopped to think to take a photograph of it. The good news is that I am planning on making another one soon. I want to start fresh with all the things I learned so I can make it better then I am going to add some beading around the trip, you know for some bling bling!! The coolest part is that I made this, first time, in about 1.5 hours, give or take a little. I really like it and I think I am going to start selling it on my Esty.com shop. Maybe once I get really good I will get some pictures of it on a bride, not me!!

Dream Wedding Give-a-way

2010-08-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on my couch the other night brain storming about weddings. In the midst of a ton of ideas one emerged that has stuck with me. So much, in fact, that I have started planning the event. I want to create a wedding with a bride and groom that honestly can be called a dream come true. So what is the one thing that usually comes between a couple and their dream, money! After milling through a bunch of ideas I began to see how I could make this happen. So yesterday I got online and started emailing. I am beginning to compile a list of wedding vendors that I know, trust, and love, together we are collecting a package of things to give to one couple that will give them an amazing start to planning their wedding. So ideas I have are, a dress, manicures/pedicures, transportation, food, music, all kinds of items that will be basically no charge for them, (maybe a bride might want to upgrade the photography to include more prints). Since my idea is just at the beginning stages I don't want to say to much, but my planning worksheet is off the chart!!! I hope to create an event for this give-a-way. Something that will serve a couple purposes, one: a workshop to help all the brides, two: maybe some live entertainment, three: food!!! four: a chance to meet all the vendors who are a part of the dream wedding. I still have many things to figure out before I can call this idea official, but I will keep you posted!!

Chris and Kristen

2010-08-18T21:38:00.000-07:00

Some times we have to pick and choose what order to do our task lists in. In this case it has taken me a year to contact Encore Photography to get pictures for a wedding we did at Deepwood Estates last August. This was one of the most elegant weddings I have had the privilege of being a part of. Kristen found me at the January 2008 Salem bridal showcase and her wedding was not until August 2009. We had plenty of time to make sure everything was perfect. The colors were brown, green and purple with calla lilies and tulips as the main flowers. The bride had so much detail that we had a team of 5 decorating from 9 am -3 pm when the guest started to arrive. Until this last summer is was the largest wedding I had done with the numbers coming in at approximately just under 400. They were a great couple, very fun to work with and to be able to share with them their wedding day.

Amazing dinner from Wild Pear

Having fun at the reception

I want to go "Green"

2010-08-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

I was sitting on my couch last night thinking about the upcoming year and setting some goals for myself and my business. Those who know me, know that I am always coming up with ideas and trying to find things that inspire me to become a better wife, mother, friend, wedding planner and more. My newest inspiration came from something we have been doing in our home. My husband and I have been trying to save on utilities, groceries, gasoline and any other place we can think of. We are doing this not because we have to, but because we want to make a difference. When I started thinking about all the food we have eaten out of our two gardens and the different furniture I have re-purposed, (just yesterday I recovered my dining room chairs) I started to dream of a wedding that was done the same way. Why not grow your own food for the reception, why not plant seeds and grow your own flowers, why not go to a second hand store and get your attire, center pieces, and table clothes? (surly with some alterations and refinishing but that's the point) It took me a while to fall asleep last night because I could not get the idea of a totally re-purposed/organic wedding. So if you know a bride who loves to save the environment, and would find a lot of joy in making things new again with me, please let me know. I would even be willing to through some unbilled time in for the sake of a dream I would love to live out.

Me and Martha Monday project #6

2010-08-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

I decided that this week I would do a tribute to Martha rather than one of her projects. I had a wedding this last weekend that I made the cake top for them. They had such a large wedding that they decided to just go with cup cakes and then a cake top to cut for the traditional part of the reception. I am not a professional cake maker, but I love a challenge, so since they were going to make it themselves I asked to make it for them as a gift. I watched some great video's on YouTube and came up with a pretty decent cake. Here is how and what I did.

After baking each cake I made a small outline of frosting to help keep the filling from squishing out. After stacking and making sure they were straight, I put a first thin layer of frosting called a crumb coat. Once this was dry I put the full layer of butter cream on. I had never done a butter cream before so it took a lot of trial and error to figure out how to smooth the frosting. Once I was done with that I put the cake on it's foam round and piped on some flowers (I practiced on a plate first) then added a sugar bead on each flower. The cake was topped off with the bride's grandparents 60-year-old cake top and a few hydrangea's. By my standard it was not perfect, but they loved it and I really enjoyed the process. I think, if given the chance, I would like to do it again, but this time with fondant. I have worked with fondant before and enjoy how nice and smooth it is.

Me and Martha Project #5

2010-08-09T21:40:00.000-07:00

Okay so I am IN LOVE with this weeks project. I just had a wedding this weekend that I wish I would have thought about this earlier, it could have added some really nice punches of color to the tables. The picture to the left represents only one of several ideas they have for dressing up the napkins.

I will put the links to the other that I like at the end of this posting. The rings at the left are paper with buttons and string. I decided to do a beaded ring because I am really into beading. I love to make jewelry, napkin rings, wine glass charms and just recently my dad has asked me to bead Indian designs to go with his custom knives he makes. (For those of you following this project, can you tell I love crafts?) I apologize for the quality of my picture. The lighting was really bad in my dining room so it is not the best, to say the least, but I hope you get the idea. You can buy bead sets at all major craft stores, and I only buy mine when I get the 40/50/60% off coupons. There are so many colors and such a huge selection that even if you wanted to combine the paper idea with a bead around it, you could go nuts with this for a very inexpensive way to dress up your reception. Here is the picture of my beaded ring, along with the links to the other napkin ideas I just love...

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/napkin-ideas

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/napkin-ideas#slide_4

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/napkin-ideas#slide_5

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/napkin-ideas#slide_6

Kaitlyn and David

2010-08-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and David

Yesterday I had the joy and honor of coordinating a wedding for Kaitlyn and David at Deepwood Estates in Salem. Kaitlyn and I met last fall at the October Oregon Wedding Showcase. Kaitlyn came to me with wonderful ideas and vision, she just wanted me to help her bring it all together and really help with the details of planning. I enjoyed every meeting we had and really looked forward to this day.

I arrived at 12:30 pm with my first helper and started right way with tables and linens, my second helper came at 1:30 and she began ironing table clothes and setting out chairs. Then to my joy and surprise the florist showed up with a girl I have known since she was a freshman in high school. The blessing was that she ended up staying until the very end of clean up. Not only did she help me, but she helped the cake lady and the caterer. She was a blessing to everyone and I don't think Kaitlyn will ever know how key she was in all the behind the scene details of the day. We honestly didn't have a thing go wrong, everything went as according to plan, we even ended up finishing clean up over a half hour before scheduled. Every vendor was professional and pitched in where needed. The caterer was OSU catering and when they finished their clean up two of the guys stayed and stacked all the chairs for me, what a team we all were. Kaitlyn did a wonderful job picking out who she surrounded herself with. It felt like we had all worked together before, yet we had never met until that day. I will post some of the professional pictures once they come in, but in the mean time, here a couple of photos Mary snapped for me before she left.

The really cute cup cakes

Jessica helping with the cake

Simple and beautiful. Black and white with touches of hot pink

Candy table. It was a huge hit with the guests

One of three center pieces.

Me and Martha project #4

2010-08-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

This last week has been sleepless to say the least. Both my self and my son have been sick. So since this is the first time in a week I have turned on my computer, I have not done my project. I don't like to leave things hanging, so I am going to share a simple place tag/guest favor that I really really like. http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/downloadable-tags-and-labels
I think it can fit any budget and can add color to your table settings with a lot of class.

I am really hoping to feel better soon so I can get my hands dirty with some of Martha's wedding programs.

Me and Martha Monday #3

2010-07-27T16:01:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend! I had the joy of camping with my family and several of our good friends. This, however, led to a very busy Monday getting things cleaned up. I left my house at 8:30 am and didn't get home until 7 pm! Crazy day but it was worth it.

Okay so on to my project. This week I found this conversation started game that I thought was really fun (and might bring in a little extra change). I also like this project because you can really have a lot of creative freedom with it. I used a box like show, but you could really have some fun with other ideas like fish bowls to create a "wishing" well and so much more. For my "Change is Good" project I used a white favor box I got at the dollar store. They sell them 20 to a box for $1 so you could put one on a table, or just a few at the bar and/or favor table. I used Microsoft Word to print my tag at home on a piece of velum, but you could use paper that goes with the theme of your wedding. I could go on with ideas!

What I like better about their box is that it has a lid that is separate from the bottom. I am sure you could find boxes like this at a craft store. I decided to print mine on velum and put some torn paper behind it. If this was something I was doing for a wedding I would probably make several different sized boxes and maybe make the velum a little thinner than I have here. If you don't have someone to explain what this box is for, like an MC or wedding planner, I would accompany it with some instructions like they provide on Martha's website.

Play It
Each guest opens his or her favor box, then shares with the table an important event that corresponds to the year on each coin (e.g., "In 1996, I was named best-dressed in high school").

I really really like this idea and I think brides could really personalize it to fit their wedding. Here is the link to Martha's website where I got this project from. Happy planning!! http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/photogallery/conversation-starters#slide_4

Got ideas?

2010-07-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

I am not exactly sure how many people read or keep up with my blog, but I would like to see if anyone has any ideas or request for a "Me and Martha" project, help with a specific wedding need, or just some suggestions as to what might make the blog more useful and exciting. I am always looking for ways to better myself and my business, so please feel free to comment or email with any ideas and suggestions!! I welcome them.

Me and Martha Monday

2010-07-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

It's Monday and time for another project from Martha Stewart Weddings! This week I decided to try a project that brought me back to grade school, a cootie catcher. Even though I played with these a lot as a kid, I never made one, so this was actually my first time making it.

My Notes: Since I am a perfectionist I had to do some trimming to make sure the piece was exactly square before folding, but it didn't take long. In one of the steps I was not sure what they were explaining, but once I asked my husband I was on my way. The last thing I wanted to mention is that I don't know what the words mean on the template. I would assume everyone would know what this game is, but not what they were suppose to do with it, so some instructions with it might be good. Here is my finished sample...

I would say this was very easy to make and only took about 10 minutes for the first one, this includes printing and cutting. If you had them printed and cut at a print shop, it would cut the time in half. Finally, here is a link to the project template on Martha Stewart Weddings, http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/goodthings/lip-smacking-good?&backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/favor-packaging-templates#slide_13

Me and Martha Project

2010-07-09T23:43:00.000-07:00

Back when I was engaged I looked to Martha for advice and tips for my wedding. I was on a super small budget so I looked for many DIY projects and decoration tips (my cake, invite wording, guest favors, and center pieces were found in her wedding magazine). Over my years as a wedding planner I have grazed her site looking at things and taking notes for future brides. But to be honest I have looked at so many things and thought, "how realistic is that?" So I have decided to take on a little "Me and Martha" project. Once a week I am going to look at here DIY projects and actually make one. Then with that info I will post pictures and how it really went. (Kind of a little spin on the Julie and Julia movie). I LOVE crafting and I am really looking forward to trying out new projects. So without further adieu here is my first project.

http://www.marthastewartweddings.com/article/paper-dahlia-how-to?backto=true&backtourl=/photogallery/favor-packaging-templates#slide_1

The first thing I have to comment on is that it was really easy to find scraps around my house to test this project out. Since I decided to do it at 11 pm I couldn't run to Joann's or Michaels. The instructions and template were easy to download and print, but I found I needed to trace each flower onto the tissue because it kept moving every time I cut and that caused my edges to not be so crisp. (Note: use a light pencil to mark otherwise the pen shows on the paper after being cut). This project was fun and I think it could work nicely if a bride felt if fit her theme. I would totally recommend them for bridal or baby showers because making a couple hundred of these things could take a while (you have to cut two flowers for each one favor or it is not full enough). I also like this idea because it would be cheep to buy the tissue paper and you could put just about any small item in them, M&M's, truffles, nuts, or flower bulbs like show on the website. Then you could use a matching ribbon and add a cute tag with your names and date, or just leave it alone, either way, it is a very easy project to customize.

Okay here is my final product, oh and know, I picked two different papers because I didn't have two of the same, but I kind of like it. Why is it sitting on an egg carton you ask? Because I didn't have a flower bulb just laying around so I used an egg, haha!!

With This Ring Wedding

2010-07-07T17:17:00.000-07:00

Who's it for?

2010-07-02T23:43:00.000-07:00

In the midst of all the planning have you ever stopped and thought to yourself, "Who am I planning this wedding for?" Is it you and your fiance, your parents, his parents, your guests..I am not saying there is a wrong or right answer, I'm only suggesting that before you get too caught up or have everything done but nothing you like, take a deep breath, sit back in a quiet corner with your fiance and seriously ask, who are we planning this for and what do we want. There is so much pressure put on you by vendors, parents, friends, fiances, strangers who think they have to give you advice, it's easy to get lost in everyone else's plans. What a special and precious time this is in your life, and no matter who's paying for it, it's worth taking a moment to seriously ponder your desire and vision for this day.

Quick Tip: boutonniere

2010-06-30T16:17:00.000-07:00

Depending on how long your pictures take, the type of flowers you have, and the weather, your grooms boutonniere will quite possibly be wilted and/or squished by the ceremony. So something I always like to suggest to my brides is to order a second boutonniere for the groom. That gives you one to be used for pictures and then a fresh one for the ceremony and reception. It will only cost you a few extra dollars and it makes a big difference in your pictures.

Picture and boutonniere by Belle Fleur Floral Design http://www.bellefleurfloraldesign.com/

2010-06-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

For the last month I have been looking around for places to open up my bridal boutique and couple days ago someone mentioned that they thought the downtown Camas area fit well with my dreams. So today my husband, son and I drove into Camas to check it out. I loved it! (That really is an under statement.) Even in the overcast weather it was great, the streets were lined with trees and cute shops and cafes were everywhere. We went into some of the open shops to get an idea of how they looked inside, and all I can say is...character. Most of the places I have looked in Vancouver are rectangles, these were far from it. I instantly started dreaming and planning in my head when I saw this corner shop with tiger print carpet. I know that sounds funny, but all I can say is character. I'm not sure when, or if, my dream will come true, but I sure would be excited if this location was the start of all my dreams. Now I just have to get some money, ha!!

Elegant and Simple

2010-06-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Photo via Megan Hobson

I saw this picture at Deepwood the other day and I just feel in love with it. I think that this is such an elegant and simple way to dress up your tables. It wouldn't even be too hard to add a few accent floors throughout the piece. I also enjoy the etched candle on the plate. Beautiful party favor and it would be a great alternative to a name tag for your seating charts.

Wine Glass/Water Goblet Charms

2010-06-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

Here is another fun craft I am adding to my list of things to do!! Those who know me know I love to create and invent, it might be one of the reasons I love my job so much. I have many ideas for other designs and styles, but here is the first I came up with. I thought these would not only be fun for the bride and groom, but the bridal party, or even the favors the give to the guest. It could be totally cute to walk up to the bar and each glass has a different charm that you could choose from. Oh the things I would love to do!!! The one below can be used more times than just the wedding. I thought these would be fun to have after the wedding with wedding pictures in them to ride the couple of their special day.

Bridal Resale - Item #0001 Bridal Gown

2010-05-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

Something I have always wanted to do is to continue helping my brides even after their wedding day. One way I have found to do this is by helping them sell some of the items they used at their wedding. In addition to helping them I am given a chance to pass these savings onto my new brides. When some things have only been used once and are still in perfect condition, it can really help future brides save money. I LOVE to help my brides save money without sacrificing quality.

So without further adieu I give you my first items...Dress-size 6. The bride is 5' 3" and she wore flats, it has a Cathedral length train with a split back where it bussel nicly for the reception. The dress is a light gold/champaign with white and gold embroidery. This dress is also sold with a 36-C bra and a full under skirt. There are no stains or rips, and the asking price is an amazing $100. If you are interested please call me at 360-831-5757 or email resale@withthisringwedding.com

Updated Pictures in my Portfolio

2010-05-27T11:48:00.000-07:00

As I work to improve my blog while I am developing my new website, I decided to add more pictures to my portfolio. I have had the pleasure of working with some wonderful couples over the years and they truly have blessed me with wonderful experience and memories. If you are interested click on my flikr photo stream on the right side of the page and you will be able to view photos as well as some wonderful comments the brides have sent back to me after they returned from their honeymoon.

Shepard's Hook

2010-05-24T16:57:00.001-07:00

For many years I have wanted to stock decorative items for my brides to use. I can't tell you how many times I have been out shopping and found a wonderful item on clearance and kicked myself later for not getting it. So today I finally got something! I purchased 10 of these 27" Shepard's hooks. There are totally perfect for small baskets, pomanders (aka hanging flower balls), and a lot more. I am also going to have them available to rent for anyone at a very awesome price!! One decoration down, countless ideas to go...

Making it simple

2010-05-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

Since the move to Vancouver I have decided to make things simple until I get a solid plan in place. So for now my website will return to just this blog and my phone number will be just my cell. I can still be reached via email at kzuniga@withthisringwedding.com and also my new cell number 360-831-5757. Thanks for your patience and understand during this transition.

New Location, New Ideas

2010-04-19T13:08:00.000-07:00

As many of you know just over a month ago my family relocated to Vancouver Washington. It was welcomed moved both for our family and business life. I am still able to work with my Salem brides, but also look at a new market. I have been thinking a lot about how/if I want to begin to do things with this change. At first I was excited to be close to Portland, but then as I started looking at all the work involved, work that came so easily in Salem, I became overwhelmed. I spent some time talking with the small business department at the bank today and they gave me an idea as to what is offered around Vancouver in the wedding industry. One of the gentalmen is engaged and getting married in June. He said that they went to Portland for all their vendors because there is little known about the bridal industry in Vancouver. With this in mind I am going to look ahead and think/pray about what direction I should go with my business.

Wedding Workshop

2010-02-09T08:49:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at Simple Grand Bridal last night at our 3rd Annual Wedding Workshop. We spent two hours working through brides questions about things that stressed them the most. Guest list, invites, food and drinks, it was great to spend time getting to know them and help, even if in a small way. Kathi's shop was great!! She had planty of room for us to enjoy refreshments and kick back and soak in all the wedding talk anyone could handle.

New Ideas

2009-11-19T23:23:00.001-08:00

As a small business owner I am constently trying to think of new ideas for my business. I have so many things running through my head that sometimes it is hard to focus on just one, but my newest idea feels like a keeper! My plan is to work closly with some of my favorite vendors to create a small booklet with information about each business with a possibility of some tips, tricks and ideas. I am hoping to make it a quartly thing, but for now my goal is to get the first edition out by January. That might not be as easy as I hope with the holidays coming, but I love to have timelines and goals to work towards so I am going to try my best. If you have any ideas for things that you would like to see in a booklet like this, please let me know. I am always open for comments or suggestions.

Bridal Show

2009-10-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

I want to thank everyone who stopped by our booth at the Bridal Show this weekend. It is always a joy to meet new people and spend time talking about their wedding. Every wedding is different and it makes my job so much more fun. I hope everyone found the information they were looking for and are not going back to work tomorrow more confused than before the show. If you are interested in attending the workshop on November 1, please let me know right away as I am starting to finalize plans this week.

A new team member

2009-09-27T22:26:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce that I have brought on a new team member, Anna Kintigh. I have known Anna for years, even before I did her weddings in 2006. She has a heart for weddings and just might be as organized as me. I can't wait to start sharing her with my new brides and it all starts this weekend at the bridal show. She is a sweet woman and I truly believe will be a joy to work with and a great addition to the work I do.

Help at the show

2009-09-24T17:09:00.001-07:00

As the day draws closer for the Salem bridal show I am realizing I would like more help at my booth. If you are a past bride and you would like to hang out with me for a few hours on either the 3rd or 4th and help take t-shirt orders, pass out fliers, or maybe even talk with potential brides, I would love the help. Please call or email me if you are interested, 503-983-0836 or kzuniga@withthisringwedding.com.

Coupons for the Bridal Show

2009-09-20T17:02:00.000-07:00

One of the benifits of being in the Bridal Show is having coupons to hand out to brides, or anyone who want's to attend. If you, or someone you know, would like a coupon for the show, please email me at kzuniga@withthisringwedding.com and I will be happy to drop one off or put it in the mail.

Bridal Show Tip

2009-08-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

I seem to not be finding time to write my tip of the week, but since the Fall Bridal Show is coming up I felt it appropriate to share my opinion on how to use it to your advantage.

Tip #2-Bridal Shows
When you go to a show I say sign up for everything. You might get a few extra phone calls or emails as a follow up from some vendors, but you never know what you can win, a discount here and weekend away there, it all adds up. Also, preshop the vendors online before you get there. That way you can book a vender at the show if they are offering a show special. This will help you not feel pressured by a sales pitch and save you precious dollars at the same time.

Bridal Shows

2009-07-25T22:23:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to be an exhibitor in both the October 2009 and January 2010 Salem Bridal Shows. When I did the January show in 2008 we not only had a lot of fun, but we met so many great people, (brides and vendors). With October coming up just around the corner, I feel a fire under my feet to get things ready. I am restructuring my contract to make it easier for brides to choose the services they want, redesigning my brochures to fit a more seasonal look, and trying to figure out how I want my website to function. All things I am so excited to work on.

This picture was taken at my latest wedding in Pueblo Colorado. We were walking down to the water at the river walk and they had no idea I was snapping any pictures. To me, these are the most precious moments of the day!

Colorado Wedding

2009-06-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

If you know me at all, you know I love what I do. I can't help but get excited when weddings are the subject, but it gets a little more special when it's someone I love. My best friend from middle school is getting married in July and she is allowing me to walk beside her in the planning process. When it's family or a very close friend, I try to guard then from me because I just want to lavish them with everything I can. Well she is just being a doll and soaking up everything I am able to help her with and I love it. It is going to be a small, simple wedding, but beautiful. Green and Plum are the colors, we are going to use the dark purple cala lilies with fresh cut limes on the tables for center pieces. Both the ceremony and reception are being held in a backyard by a pond on what I expect to be a beautiful Sunday afternoon. I just can't wait to get there and put everything together that we have been planning. I LOVE to see ideas come to life. I will post pictures as soon as I get back, but here is a sample of the flowers.

Summer Special

2009-06-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

Do you know someone who could use some help now that things are getting down to the wire? Can you use some help? My availablity has opened up for July and August and I would love to get my hands dirty with some brides who are feeling the presser as they approach the last couple weeks/months before their wedding. If you or someone you know could use some last minute help, I am running a summer special. If you book now for July or August 2009, I will honor last summers prices. I know with the economy budgets can be tight, but the helping hand of a wedding coordinator can make all the difference for a relaxful, enjoyable wedding day.

Photography

2009-05-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

One thing I like to do with my brides is create a photography list. Some photographers already have these, check with them to see if they do, if not, sit down and start a list. Give yourself a couple weeks to add/remove pictures as you are thinking through who is going to be there. Consulte with your groom and anyone else, mom, step-mom, favorite aunt, anyone who knows your families and ask for ideas and help. Once you have finalized your list, give a copy to the photographer at least a week before the wedding so they can measure the time needed to capture everything you have requested. This might seem like "one more thing" to do before the wedding, but trust me, on your 5th, 10th, 25th...anniversary you will be happy you did.

All the advice out there

2009-05-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

I was surfing the web today looking at different wedding sites and I stumbled on one titled "10 tips for a budget wedding." I am always looking for ways to save my brides money, without cutting quality of course, so I clicked and started reading. When I got to tip #3 I was hit with a wave of nausea. They actually suggested having a friend and/or some disposable cameras instead of hiring a professional! I can't believe it even now as I am typing this. I personally believe that if you are going to spend any large chunk on anything, it should be the photographer. Flowers are pretty, cake is yummy, having lots of good food is great, but you don't look at the food in your fridge on your 40th anniversary! This prompts me to begin a vendor spotlight. Once a month I am going to highlight a vendor who I have worked with and I know is worth your money. I will begin with a photographer so you can see someone who is worth the money!!! Check back in a few days to see which wonderful one I pick to share...

Tip of the week - 1

2009-05-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

On thing I am committed to is taking stress off of my brides. I am always trying to think of ways to think for them. So today I am starting a "Tip of the Week". I am going to spend some time each week, looking into what's hot, new, and upcoming, as well as, revisiting some old tricks I have learned through out the years. I will then post my ideas and suggestion each Sunday.

Tip #1-Ask for help!
Especially if you don't have a wedding planner, it is so important to have good helpers around you. They need to be people you can trust to follow through; someone who is so excited and committed to being there for you, that any job is special to them. Keep a running list of the things that need to be done, categorize them by time and importance, and whenever someone says, “If you need any help” call them on it. You have so much to think about; don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Wedding Apparel

2009-05-01T14:09:00.000-07:00

One of my new business vendors is to design apparel for wedding parties. As of tonight I have my store up and running with two designs. Visit http://www.e-shirt.com/MyShop.asp?ShopID=5137 to view my first designs. If you have any suggestions or requests you would like to see, please email me and I would love to create a design especially for you.

Intimate Weddings

2009-03-29T08:34:00.000-07:00

I was looking around on the web today and I found this blog http://www.intimateweddings.com/blog/ She has great resources and won an award for being the best new blog. If you know anyone who could benifit from it, please pass this along.

Furthering my education

2009-03-18T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have decided to continue working on my goal to further my education and finish college. As of this week I am changing my major to Visual Communication and beginning to take online classes. I hope to have an entire term finished by the time we return to the United States. I believe this education will help me be able to imporve my business and my experience for my brides. I am really excited to be a college student again!

Getting things going again

2009-01-25T09:04:00.000-08:00

You might be wondering why I haven't posted since September 2007. It's a simple answer; life and business have been busy. Since my last post my business has grown, I have moved twice, one of those moves being to Portugal. I have been here for a month now and I am finding time to evaluate my goals for life and my business. As I am working and praying through my decisions, I will be posting ideas, helps, and advice for wedding planning and execution. I hope to find other exciting blogs and websites to share with future brides and those helping plan their big day. If you have any questions, comments, or suggestions as to what content would be most helpful, please let me know.

Happy Planning,
Katie Zúñgia

Coming in January

2007-09-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

January 5 & 6 is the Salem Bridal Show and this year we will be there! I have heard great things about the show and I am very excited to move forward with reaching new brides. If you, or someone you know, is going to be there, make sure to stop by, say hi, and pick up one of my fun gifts I will be handing out.

Fall Wedding Tip

2007-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

If your wedding is in the fall it is always a good idea to plan for the weather, especially in Oregon. Bring several umbrellas to your ceremony location. If it is raining, have the ushers greet guests at their cars and bring them in under cover. It will be a great way to show your guests how much you appreciate them being there.